


USWNT One Shots

by alexsmorgans



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: USWNT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 06:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9111082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexsmorgans/pseuds/alexsmorgans
Summary: Comment Request





	1. Kelley Can't Math

"Dude math was my shit in college! Ill help you out!" Mal looked concerned, whether that was from the freezing cold ice bath they were all kneeling in or Kelleys sudden enthusiasm for calculus, the team couldn't tell.  
"Uh okay. Thanks Kelley." She gave the hyperactive woman a smile.

-

"Alright Pugh whadda you got?" Kelley entered the room unannounced 20 minutes later.  
"Shes been stuck on the same problem since last night." Lindsey informed her from where she, Sam and Morgan were lounging on the two beds.

"Shut up Lindsey." The 17 grumbled, her eyebrows knotted in concentration.  
"Let me see." Mal moved over to show her. Kelley stared at the calculation for almost a full minute.

"Thats not english." She said. "Sorry Mal." The teen made a frustrated noise as the 27 year old went to sit on her bed with Morgan.  
"I thought you majored in math at Stanford?" Morgan asked, laughing slightly at the immediate abandonment of the 12th grade homework.

"Minored." Kelley corrected her. "I majored in science. And I honestly don't know how I passed math. I think someone must've tipped my professor off." The groups laughter was cut off by Mal.

"Hey... I think I get it." She said as she riffled through her book again and checked her paper. "I got it!" She looked up at the group with a relived smile.

"Congratulations." Lindsey said sardonically. "You want a medal?"

Mal through her textbook at her.

It landed on target.

-

When people asked why Lindsey had a bruised cheek the next day at practice she glared in Mal's direction and was given an innocent grin in return.


	2. Alex Is Stubborn

Alex Morgan is stubborn. Almost everyone knows that but know one knows that more than her teammates. Telling Alex she couldn't do something (even if it quite literally was impossible) was, in her mind a challenge. And she refused to accept defeat. There were practically no exceptions to this mindset of hers. Today was no exception.

-

"Alex you're sick." Julie said. Alex glared at her as she held back a cough.   
"No I'm not." Her already raspy voice reached a whole other level of lowness.

"Alex theres no way you can play like this." Kelley told her as the forward downed another glass of water trying to soothe her throat.  
"Im fine Kelley will you back off!" She snapped finally. Kelley held her hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay fine. Ill back off. C'mon guys." She lead JJ, Christen, Allie and Ali out of the room, the third group of the day to come in and bully her into sitting out. Alex fell back onto her pillows and pulled her covers around her. She was tired of everyone nagging her but she also didn't want to be left alone with her, she admitted this to herself very grudgingly, sore throat.

-

A knock sounded at her door and she hoarsely told them to go away. The door opened anyways and she groaned. "Well this isn't the greeting I expected." She peeked from under her covers to see who it was but she already knew it was the person she wanted most of all. "Id kiss you but I don't want to get sick." Tobin gave her a small smile and set down a Walgreens bag on the bed.

"Im not sick." Alex denied as Tobin sat down next to her, arm thrown over her sick girlfriends shoulders.  
"Sure." Tobin hummed. She ruffled through the Walgreens back and pulled out a bottle of DayQuil and Aspirin along with a gatorade.

"Here, you'll feel better for the game." She said. Alex sighed and accepted defeat taking the medicine her girlfriend had poured out for her.  
"Who told you?" She asked as she downed the aspirin with a swig of gatorade.

"Technically Kelley and Allie ratted you out together but I already knew when you acted more zombie-like that usual at breakfast." She gave her a lazy smile and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "I already told Dawn so its no use trying to convince her." Alex scowled.

"I hate you." She whined, her voice cracking and her sentence ended with a spluttering cough.

"You love me."

"I know but right now I hate you a little." She pouted.   
"Sure Lex. Take a nap, Ill wake you up when we have to get ready."

-

When Alex walked into the locker room a few hours later she headed over to Allie and Kelleys lockers and gave them both swift hits on the side of their heads. "Ow! What the hell?" Allie rubbed the side of her head.   
"You ratted me out to my girlfriend! So uncalled for!" She went to hit her again but Allie managed to dodge out of the way.

"You know you're not very nice when you're sick." Kelley said loudly as Alex stomped over to her locker to pull on her jersey and track pants. Alex glared at her but didn't retort. She sat in her locker and rubbed her temples, her headache starting to come back when a two aspirin and a bottle of water were placed in her hands.

"I love you." She sighed gratefully. Tobin smiled and leaned into her locker, looking down at the sick woman.  
"Yeah, well, I am pretty amazing."

"Im sorry for being such a bitch today." She mumbled, flushing slightly pink as she realized how horrible she had been today.   
"If you're going to apologize to anyone go apologize to the rookies. I think you terrorized them." She whispered the last part, but Alex could see the humorous glint in her eyes.

-

Alex stood with most of the rookies on the sidelines waiting for them to come out of the tunnel. She noticed that Mal, Lindsey and Emily standing slightly away from her and subtly glancing at her. She caught Mal's eye and the 18 year old flushed , her eyes flicking to the other side of the field. She took a step towards them and all their eyes went to her. "Hey um, sorry for being such a jerk today. I know you guys were just trying to help. I just...I just really hate being sick." She finished lamely. She was over taken by another fit of coughing and the girls jumped away from her.

"Alright Alex we accept the apology but get away you germ ridden human." Emily joked. Alex laughed but did put some space between them and turned to see the teams walking out of the tunnel. She locked eyes with Tobin who grinned and gave her a wink.

-

"You know maybe I should get sick more often." Alex said later that night as she wiggled into Tobin side.  
"Hm whys that?" Tobin asked, subconsciously running her fingers through Alex's long hair, eyes trained on the book resting in her lap.

"You seem driven to play even better than usual." Alex rasped, speaking of the two goals Tobin had gotten against Colombia today. Tobin marked the page in her book and put it on the table next to her bed.  
"Well since you weren't out there I figured someone had to step up." Her eyes glimmered with humor as she captured Alex lips with her own.

"They were both for you by they way." She said when she pulled away. Alex gazed at her lovingly.  
"You'll get sick." She whispered.

"I wont get sick. Plus even if I do you'll take care of me right?" Alex nodded and pressed another quick kiss to her lips.  
"Of course I would."

-

Tobin ended up getting sick the next week.


	3. Morgan Is Sentimental

Morgan Brian has never really had a little sister, in fact she's normally considered the little sister. That, of course, was when Lauren was on the team. Lauren had always treated Moe like her family, giving her advice, being her shoulder to cry on when her and her boyfriend broke up and most importantly catching her after a goal.

When Mallory arrived Morgans eyes instantly drew to her. The 17 year old was very quiet, but not timid, working quietly while the other older girls talked. She observed everything carefully, from the way Tobin danced with the ball to the way Christen finished precisely into the net.

The second day came with a bright hot sun and a double day for the team. Morgan had just come down to breakfast with Lindsey when she saw Mal eating quietly as Megan and Emily chattered next to her. She filled up her plate and weaved through the tables and pulled up the chair next to the 17 year old.

"Hi." She chirped. Mal gave her a small, confused looking smile.

"Uh...hi." Morgan pretty much forced the girl to talk to her and when they were finally getting on the bus to head to the pitch and weight room Mal was laughing and talking like she'd known Morgan her whole life, not less than 48 hours.

Mal eyes were trained on the piece of paper in her hands, deciding on what circuit to start with when a slight shadow appeared on her paper. "So what are we starting with?" Morgan asked. Mal grinned.

"I was thinking dead lifts." Morgan nodded and headed over to the weight machine.

"I was thinking dead lifts too."

-

"Do you think ill go in?" The question was whispered so quietly Moe wasnt sure she heard the girl right. When she glanced over and saw the nervousness in the girls eyes she knew she had heard correctly.

"Yeah i think you will." The nerves were still apparent.

"Oh my god what if i screw up really badly? What if I let them get a goal? What if-"

"Okay," Morgan cut her off. "First of all, you wont let in a goal. We've got Becky back their and shes cleaned up our messes more times than I can remember. And everyone screws up. Just play your game like you know how and you'll be fine."

It happened in the 58th minute. Mal went up the the 4th official and gave her the substitution card. As Alex was jogging over Kelley gave Mal a few words and a smile. Alex gave her a hug and she sprinted her spot glancing over at Morgan who gave her a thumbs up. Emily and Alex sat down on both sides of her. "Nice goal captain." Morgan gave her a grin and Alex laughed.

"Why thank you bean." It was Morgans turn to laugh as they turned their attention back on the game. Christens attempt to score had just gone wide.

"I think we're going to get one more goal." Emily announced. "I can feel it."

Moe chuckled but ultimately ignored her friend as she said this practically ever game. "Whatever you say Raven Symone."

Emilys prediction was correct, she reminded Morgan of this at least 6 times before she finally dropped it. Christen had gotten all the way to the end line and was surrounded by three defenders. She spun precisely and chipped the ball up into the goal box. Morgan thought is was another attempt at goal and sighed, knowing there was no way it would go in when Mal came out of no where. Her head connected perfectly with the ball, sending it near post past Irelands goalkeeper. She ran over to Christen who scooped her up into a hug, quickly swallowed by their fellow teammates. The bench had jumped up in celebration.

"Hell yeah Mal!" Alex's raspy yell was heard above all others and the 18 year old grinned over at them. Morgan gave her a huge smile and was still clapping when they kicked off again.

The final whistle blew and everyone migrated onto the field to shake hands and receive one of Dawns famous post game protein shakes. "Hey, great goal Mal." The 17 year old was practically glowing with happiness and she smiled widely and gave Morgan a hug, surprising the older midfielder.

"Thanks for being my friend." She said into her jacket clad shoulder. Moe laughed and threw her arm around her shoulder.

"Well someones got to make the first move dont they?" She smiled slightly as she repeated the words Lauren had said to her so long ago, when it was her first cap and she didn't quite know anyone on the team.

-

That was almost 9 months ago Morgan thought as she glanced at the now 18 year old who was passed out on her bed after the 2-0 win against New Zealand. She thought of all the things they had done in the short time they had become friends. The amount of coffee trips, when her and Lindsey had flown to Colorado to surprise her at her graduation, when they had been with her when she signed to UCLA, taking the act of pretending to be her proud parents to a whole new level, and to the endless amount of times they had just spent wandering around whatever city they were in, to lounging around in each others hotel rooms during their downtime and to the infinite amount of texts they had sent each other.

So when the girl let out a snore so loud it woke herself up she laughed out loud and wondered if this what how Cheney felt with her.


	4. Mallory Is Surprised

Mal Pugh already had a lot of people attending her graduation. Most of her family, club and youth national soccer friends and of course she had all of her friends she was graduating with.

She had already walked the stage, gotten her diploma and taken pictures and congratulated all of her friends. Now she was on the hunt for her family. She was wandering around the venue. She thought she had just seen ine of her aunts but was distracted by a weight pressed onto her shoulder as someone jumped on her.  
"Oh my gosh!" She gasped whipping around. She blinked once. Then twice. It was three times until she was sure she wasnt going crazy.

"What the heck are you guys doing here?" A smile broke out on her face as she saw Meghan, Lindsey, Tobin, Allie, Morgan, Carli, and Emily standing in a group behind her.  
"Well we figured Portland's only a 2 hour plane ride and this day is like, kind of a big deal." Meghan joked. Mal hugged all of her teammates.

"Hey go find your fam." Tobin told her nodding over to where Mal's family was grouped together talking to some of Mals friends parents. "But you're ditching your grad party and getting burgers with us later." She said. She nodded and the gals headed out.

"See you at tu casa!" Morgan yelled over her shoulder.

-

Mal didnt see them at her house, she was surrounded by family and friends who were dropping in to congratulate her before heading to another grad party. Lindsey had texted her to meet at her front door in an hour. She headed upstairs to put on a different pair of shoes (her feet were killing her) and walked into to find half of the girls who had came lounging in her room.  
"Oh there you guys are. I was wondering were you guys were."

"Nice poster." Tobin smirked nodding over to the 2015 world cup poster that was above her desk. She blushed.  
"I havent been home." She defended weakly. "I was going to take it down."

"You'll do no such thing!" Kling said, shocked. "That thing now has Meghan Klingenbergs autograph on it! You know how much thats worth?" She stormed in mock anger.   
"Alright alright, I'll keep it just for you Kling." She joked. "Although, I could alway sell it."

"No you couldn't its priceless." Kling informed her.   
"Lindsey said the ubers here." Tobin said looking up from her phone. She stood to head out the door and downstairs, but stopped, found a sharpie on Mal's messy desk and scrawled her signature on the poster.

"Now you cant sell it because it's actually priceless." She told her. "If you try to sell it ill have to kill you." She told her, trying to be serious but not hiding her joking smile very well.  
"Lindsey now says, and I quote, hurry the hell up or im making you walk and then buy my food, lets go before we find out she's serious." 

-

They almost got kicked out of the restaurant. All of them were talking above each other and were getting nasty looks from the other diners but Mal didn't care. She so glad that her teammates were there, not that she had anything against her other friends and family, because they were the only ones who really knew how tired she was.

Dealing with the She Believes Cup, CONCOCAF Qualifying, and keeping up with all of her senior school work really took a toll on the 18 year old. More often than not she'd be reading a book at the dinner table (or almost about to fall asleep) and she was normally the first the get to bed (she didn't have the privilege of taking a mid afternoon nap like everyone else, instead tackling her calculus homework)

"Thanks for coming you guys." She said gratefully.   
"No problem Pugh. It was like watching our ugly duckling turn into a swan." Kling joked.

"Yeah maybe now you'll actually talk to us at dinner instead of giving all of your attention to How to Kill a Mockingbird." Carli laughed.  
"No she wont!" Emily disagreed.

"You're going to UCLA. You're going to die. High school is like the 10x easier test run, just ask Syd." She told her. Mal groaned. Allies phone buzzed and she checked it.  
"Thats our que guys. We gotta get to the airport in an hour."

They stood up and went to pay. Meghan buying Mal's. (You got a burger and a visit so don't expect anything else, she had laughed)

They spent the ride back to her house laughing and talking. She gave them all one last tight hug and then they had to go. "Hey Mal!" Tobin had yelled from where she was about to get into the Uber. "My gift to you is gonna be beating them." Mal laughed.

"Alright Tobin." She agreed.   
"Hey that was gonna be mine! And you're not beating us!" Morgan said indignantly as Tobin shut the door. Mal let out another laughed and waved until their two cars were put of site. They're crazy. She thought, But they're the best. Her phone dinged with a notification.

@meghanklingenber: got to watch our duckling turn into a swan! congrats baby pugh 

Yeah, definitely the best. She thought.


	5. The Team Is #Shook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since footy failed me these olympics gymnastics is my only hope

-

Alyyyy the bestie  
Aly congratulations! Can't wait to see you in rio ;)

Y/N my favveee  
Omg! congrats ! im so proud! cant wait to see you in the village!

You smiled down at you phone as you threw another US soccer t-shirt into your bag. You were a forward on the united states womens national team and were headed to Rio in two days. You had just recently gotten started with the team after all the retirements after the 2015 World Cup. You had gotten a lot of recognition after a great start to your professional career up top with Alex Morgan and the Orlando Pride.

Alex  
hey r u driving to the airport tomorrow with ash and i?

Y/N  
yeah but tell ash shes not allowed to karaoke in the car. my ears bleed for days after that :p

Alex  
haha ill make sure to let her know ;)

-

Ashlyn made sure to sing as loud as she possibly could during the car ride.

-

The game against Colombia was your first of the Olympics. You managed to get one of the goals but you felt like it was useless once Colombia managed to clinch the draw in the last minute. You left the stadium head down hood up with music blasting through your ears. Your hotel room you were sharing with Alex was where you finally let out your frustration, pounding the pillow like there was no tomorrow.

Once you had cooled down you made your way to the weight room to do a little late night recovery. You were kneeling in an icebath with Christen and Becky when you got a notification that gymnastics were about to turn on. You got out if the ice, said bye to a shivering Becky and Christen, and made your way quickly to your room.

Alex already had the TV on and almost a third of the third of the team was lounged around the room eating and watching.  
"Did I miss anything?" You asked anxiously. Alex shook her head and told you through a mouthful of granola.

"It just started like a minute ago." You grimaced.  
"That was the grossest thing you have ever done." You told her, turning back to the television. You saw the Brazilian was about to vault and pulled out your phone.

@y/n y/l/n  
good luck team usa ! bring home the GOLD

Alyyyy the bestie   
good luck al! i dont know if youll see this before you start but im so proud of you and cant wait to watch you bring it home !!! tell the other girls good luck too !

You put you phone down and watched everyone vault. Alys went well, she took a hop but otherwise is was great. Then it was Simone.  
"Holy shit!" Kelley yelled from where she was laying in the floor. "That was like perfect! 16 out of 16." You watched the replay carefully.

"She got at least a point off because she didnt stick her landing and her legs came apart slightly." You pointed out. Kelley waved you off. None of the girls knew you were best friends with a world medalist gymnast so they figured you were just guessing.

You watched the competitions, cheering after each score was announced for the United States. When Aly did her beam routine you clenched your hands around the (you knew it was childish but refused to acknowledge it) friendship bracelet the both of you had, made all those years ago in college. You let out a huge sigh of relife when she finished her nearly flawless routine.

Alyyyy the bestie   
AWESOME JOB ON BEAM IM SO PROUD OF YOU

You knew the United States had pretty much won but that didn't stop you from being extremely nervous when it was time for her floor routine. You knew her first tumbling pass was the hardest so you grabbed the thing closest to you and clenched onto it.

"Come on Al, come on." You muttered under your breath. She took of running, catapulted into the air and did all of the flips and twist she could. Her routine was perfect, only one or two bounces and the slightest of stumbles.

"Yes!" You shouted releasing what you figured out was Julie's hand and jumped up. You knew they had won. Simone only had to get a 7 and you knew she was one of the best. She did her routine like it was nothing and the gold was theres.

The team watching all jumped up and started chanting USA but your eyes were glued to your best friends face, watching her try not to cry as she hugged all of her teammates. You grabbed your phone once again and sent her two last texts.

Alyyyy the bestie   
so insanely proud of you my three time olympic gold medalist best friend!

call or facetime tomorrow! i want to freak out together like old times :)

-

The game against Sweden was almost too easy. A 4-1 scoreline with a goal and assist for yourself just made you all the more anxious for the semifinal which you had found out was against China who had won an upset against Germany.

"Hey, we'll be fine. Stop freaking out, relax and just play." Alex told you before you walked out of the tunnel.

And play you did. China played a very possession oriented style of play and you made sure to disrupt that as much as possible. You were making run after run and pressuring their backline like it was your job (which you guess technically it was). Halftime was only 1-0 with a goal from Lindsey but you knew at the rate the team was playing it was theres for the taking.

-

The flight to Rio was spent with constant back and fourth texting with Aly, she would most likely be training when you arrived at the village.

Y/N my favveee  
text me when you get there! i cant wait to see you ive missed you so much!

When you had gotten back from lunch and finally made it to the hotel, you were tired and cranky. As soon as you entered the room, you took the nearest bed, collapsed onto it, and passed out without bothering to change.

-

Your first training of the day was brigt and early. The team was still exhausted, your flight had gotten in late last night and there was a time difference from where you last were. You finished up the pitch session and two hour lift and headed back to your rooms.

Mal, your roommate for the rest of the games, flipped onto the couch and shut her eyes.  
"Leave me here until the game." She groaned, yawning halfway through her sentence.

"No can do champ. We have a meeting in two hours." You sighed glancing at the text you had just gotten from Jill. "Ill set an alarm. I need a power nap." She suggested.

You woke up a minute before the alarm you set and saw Mal glancing blearily around.   
"Hey." You yawned. "We need to head down in ten. Want to go now? Sooner we get there sooner we can chill again."

Mal nodded and went to grab her phone and change quickly.

You pulled on a pair of old Youth National Team shorts and a Team USA hoodie with your name on the back, the hood up. You didnt bother to find a pair of shoes opting to just head down in you starry socks. Mal came out of the bathroom in a pair of sweats and a tank, her hair in a messy half bun.  
"Aren't we just the epitome of fashion." She joked after taking a look at you.

They made there way down to the small conference room to see the rest of the team in similar attire. You laughed especially hard at Tobins red white and blue seal shorts.

The meeting lasted longer than expected, you watched clips of game footage from Brazil so far this tournament and talked tactics. Dawn also got up to show the schedule for the next few days until the final and told you how to recover properly.

When you were finally freed you were very ready to go up and do nothing but watch Friends on netflix. (That idea was shot down by Carli who informed you that you had to go do press in an hour) You took the elevator up to the teams floor with Alex, Mal, Tobin, Carli and Alyssa. You were all walking in a group down the hallway to get to your rooms when you heard a shriek.

"Y/N!" You turned the voice and let out a grunt when a flying brunette jumped on you. You stumbled but managed to keep your footing as the strong arms of your best friend you hadn't seen in almost two months clung onto you.  
"Aly!" Your yell was muffled by her hair that was in your face but you didnt care. All that mattered was that your best friend was finally here. You dropped her and pulled her into another tight hug.

"Holy shit I have missed you so much." You informed her, all exhaustion erased from your body as you pulled out of your hug. She was sweaty and covered in chalk, most likely getting back from a work out.

"Im so confused." Mal voiced from behind her. You turned to see your teammates staring at you, half puzzled, half shocked. Aly's teammates, who you had just noticed were behind her, wore similar expressions.

"Oh yeah." You remembered them. "Guys this is my best friend Aly Raisman. Al this is Alex, Carli, Mal, and Alyssa." You introduced them in turn. Aly turned to her teammates who looked just as confused as to why their friend was hugging a upcoming soccer superstar.

"Guys this is my best friend Y/N Y/L/N. Y/N this is Laurie, Simone and Maddie, you remember Gabby."

"Yeah I know who she is and who they are but... how do you two?" Laurie question died out.  
"We went to college together." You told them. "Well." You said as an afterthought. "I went to college, she came for like two weeks, met me and then dropped out to become one of the greatest gymnast ever."

"How come we didnt know this?" Alex asked, jaw dropped. You shrugged.  
"Oh uh, I dunno I just didnt think it was that important." You took a step back as Alex went to smack the side of your head.

"You just forgot to mention you're best friends with Aly fricking Raisman?" She practically yelled.

"Ouch, Al!" You rubbed the side of your head gingerly.

"This is so cool." You heard a whisper from one of the gymnast.

"We have to go do some media and stuff but we should definitely hang out sometime." You told them. "After the final maybe?" The group of girls nodded.

"Hey Y/N we really need to go if we're going to get showers in." Carli. You turned to her and gave her a last hug.  
"Ill see you tomorrow. Im coming to the AA final. We get the afternoon off." You told her.

"Really?" She asked excitedly.   
"Duh." You grinned. "See you Al. Nice to meet you guys." You waved to the other girls and turned to head back. You and Mal entered your room and she called shower dibs first. Twenty minutes later you were both showered and dressed in the nicest colthes you could find in your suitcase filled with soccer gear and sweatpants. (You wore wearing a simple Team USA shirt and jeans)

You made your way down to the bus and headed down to the Rio Media Center. It wasn't the entire team, just Mal, Carli, Tobin, Hope, Becky, Megan, Julie and yourself. There were lines and lines of reporters when you walked in, not really knowing where to go.  
"Mal, Y/N, Grant wants you over there." Your social media manager pointed over to one of the reporters you recognized from the group matches.

"Hey." You greeted as you approached him.   
"Hey guys. So im just going to get right to the point. Youve been in the village for about a day now, meet anyone you wanted to meet?" He asked. Mal answered before you could even open your mouth.

"We met the Final Five like an hour before we left the village and it was the coolest thing ever. Apparently Y/N just forgot to mention she was best friends with Aly Raisman." She said, eyes wide.  
"Wow really? How did you two meet? Want to give us the details?" You laughed at his surprised interest.

"Well we met a the University of Florida. She was my partner for an english class project our first week but she obviously dropped out to become one of the worlds greatest gymnast." You shrugged. "To sum it up she ditched me for an english project and we've been friends ever since. Four years I think."

"Can we expect some pictures of you guys and the final five?"

"Oh yeah." You nodded, Mal voicing her agreement. "I for one want a picture with all of us and our hopefully gold medals. If we get that picture im framing it forever." You laughed.

You answered some more basic questions and then moved onto the next reporter and answered similar questions for the next hour and a half.

You were pretty drained by the time you headed to the cafeteria. You found your team (not that it was hard, there are a lot of you) and to your suprise they were already sitting with the gymnast and a few swimmers.  
"Hey guys." You squeezed yourself in between Aly and Gabby grabbing a handful of chips of her plate and reaching over to grab the sitting half of a turkey sandwich that was untouched on Kelleys plate.  
"Hey." Kelley protested. "That was mine."

"Yeah, like you were going to eat it." You said through a mouthful.  
"Gross." Aly shouldered you and you swallowed before talking again.

"You dont know that." Kelley continued to argue.  
"Its been sitting there for 5 minutes Kelley, you said you were full." Heather told her.

"Hey guys, recognize these people?" Megan said excitedly. "Its the F-"

"Final Five." You all said in unison. She frowned.  
"Okay well its nice to introduce them." She stuck her tongue out childishly.

"Y/N's already introduced. Apparently shes been introduced since like, 2012." Alyssa said. The girls that hadnt been with you when you reunited in the hallways jaws dropped and eyes widened in confusion.  
"Care to explain?" Kelley asked, a look of shocked betrayal on hr face. (She was obsessed with these girls it was hilarious to you)

"Met in college. Thats about it." You shrugged, taking a drink if your water. "Oh, by the way." You turned to Aly. "We've been exposed by the 18 year old so you'll probably get a bunch of questions." Mal opened her mouth to protest but she couldn't be heard over Alys contagious giggling.

-

Saying you were nervous was an understatement. Decked out in all of the USA Gymnastics gear you owned with a giant american flag draped over your shoulders you watched as Aly and Simone warmed up. You had said hi to the other girls who were sitting a ways away from you and most of the team who had showed up (the rest had opted to go to the swimming events) and they were all chattering around you but your eyes were glued to Aly. You had also found her parents and had been pulled into a long hug by them (Y/N its been so long! weve missed you!) and made sure to tell them how famous they were on the internet. (Don't worry, you had laughed, I'll probably be the same way.)

-

"Up second on vault, representing the United States of America, Alexandra Raisman!"

You cheered louder than anyone as she stepped on to the vault. You held your breath as she took of sprinting and vaulted, doing great except for the hop when she landed.  
"You've got it Al, you're good!" You yelled. Aliya Mustafina had just vaulted and now it was time for Simone. She did great and you cheered loudly for her as well.

"And look who we have in the crowd here! I would like everyone to give a round of applause for the United States Womens Soccer Team who will be taking on Brazil in the gold medal final on Saturday. A special shoutout to Y/N Y/L/N, recently discovered longtime friend of USA's own Aly Raisman." You and the team were showed up on the big screen and you smiled and held up the flag, then pointing back to the floor where the Chinese gymnast was about to begin her bars routine.

-

The entire meet over all was very stressful to you but when Aly landed that final pass on her floor routine you were overwhelmed. She was crying, Simone was almost crying, most of america was likely crying so you let a few tears fall. You were so incredibly proud of her and when she caught you eye way up in the stands you could only manage a feeble thumbs up which she returned with watery eyes. They announced her score and you welled up again.

Then it was Simone's turn and you knew she got gold after the second pass. You cheered as loud as you could for her, and managed even louder when Aly joined her on the floor. Then they headed back to put on their medal outfits and let the staff set up the podium.

You pulled out the black sharpie you had been trained to carry after your first month with the national team, and using Kelleys back as a surface scribbled a note on the flag.

Aly,   
you did it. you finally did it. four years of waiting and sweat blood and tears and your are an all around gymnastics silver medalist. im proud beyond words of you. im so blessed to have been able to see you achieve this and even more so to see you achieve it as you friend.   
i love you so much champ. heres to redemption.  
\- Y/N

You capped your marked and held it out for Kelley to see.   
"That is the sweetest thing ive ever seen." She told you and pulled you into a hug.

When Aly came back out on to the podium you teared up again as she was given her silver medal. Beaming with pride as she gave it a kiss before giving a blinding smile to Simone who had just received her gold. You sang the national anthem with them and the rest of the American supporters and when they finally stepped down to find their familys in the crowd is when you managed to compose yourself.

Aly found her parents first of course, and after a mouthed conversation with them (and a lots of smiles and tears from Alys incredibly relived mother) she found her teammates. She actually managed to yell with them as they were in the lowest front row seats and she was over there for a while until she found your proud smile in the crowd.

She made her way over to where you were leaning over the edge of the railing, stopping occasionally to give hugs and congratulations to the other gymnast. You knew she wouldn't be able to hear you at all over the roar of the crowed so a simple mouthed 'Im proud of you' and a beaming smile from her was good enough for them. You dropped the flag down to her and she draped it over her shoulders.

"You know, you two are almost as cute as Kelley and I." Alex yelled from where she was sitting two seats away. You laughed.   
"Yeah right." You shouted back. "We're way cuter." 

-

You managed to sneak your way back into the back area where the gymnast were about three hours after the ceremony and getting lunch with the gals. (you technically were caught be security but luckily Alys parents were just returning with pizza for their hungy daughter)

You entered the room to to see no one but Aly and you pulled each other into the tightest hug. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Rick and Lynn leave after putting the pizza box down on the table.   
"I saw what you wrote on the flag." She told you after pulling out of the hung to look you in the eye. "It made me cry."

"Everything makes you cry Al." You joked, Aly laughed before pulling you into yet another hug. You rested your chin on her much shorted head and she sighed into your should, as if the exhaustion was just hitting her.  
"I need a nap. And pizza. I smell pizza." You let out a roar of laughter as she pulled away, eyes lighting up as she spotted the box. She grabbed it and took a seat on the couch in the small room.

You sat with her and took a slice, knowing that Dawn would make you pay for it later. Aly was already on her second slice when you were halfway done with your first.  
"Slow down champ. You still have another gold medal to win remember." You laughed. She giggled and slowed down slightly. You pulled out your phone and snapped a picture of her. She looked up as she heard the camera click.

"Y/N!" She protested. "I have pizza all over my nose." You rolled your eyes as you typed up your Instagram post.   
"People have seen you naked Al no ones going to care about a little sauce on your nose." You told her. You posted the picture with a smile.

@Y/N Y/L/N: @alyraisman : olympic gold and silver medalists. also competing for gold in pizza eating contest. A true champion.

-

You could say you weren't nervous but that would be the biggest bullshit lie of your life. The final against Brazil kicked off in twenty minutes and you were sitting in your locker, eyes closed, head back almost like you were asleep. Your family hadnt been able to fly out but you knew they were throwing a watch party at your home on Anna Maria Island.

Aly and her teammates were in the crowd also (you made sure they got front row seats) and you knew her parents who you practically considered family were also somewhere in the third of red white and blue that filled the stadium, standing out in stark contrast to the other two thirds of yellow.

"Its time. We all know what to do. Leave it all out on the fields. Im proud no matter what." Was the short and sweet pep talk from Becky. You were starting on the bench so you made your way over there with the rest of the substitutes.

You sang the national anthem with a proud smile and then, it was game time. 

-

Long was a good way to describe the first half. You had gotten off to a good start, Mal getting her third goal of the tournament 12 minutes in. But the brazilians bounded right back, a hard shot to the top left by Christiane was all they needed to get fired up. Keeping up with their fancy footwork took a lot of work and that combined with the heat made for a huffing, sweaty team.

You went in in the 74th minute for Mal, the score still tied at 1-1. The word you chose for the second half would be tense, neither side could get a goal (both the keepers were playing superbly) and the game went into the dreaded overtime. Two fifteen minutes periods to score and then it was the lottery. Jill made another sub (Kelley for Meghan) and the game started up again.

The moment came in the 117th minute. Morgan had just nicked the ball away and made a firm pass to to Alex who was streaking upfield. You were right in line with Brazils defense and she sent a through ball in that was right to your feet. You sprinted after it, your legs still relatively fresh and then it was just you and the keeper. You knew she was coming out to make herself bigger and you absolutely did not want to get this shot saved by a wild foot save.

"Alex!" You yelled. The veteran was just to your left and without a second thought you gave it to her, onsides with a wide open net. It was almost to easy.

She ran to the sidelines with you holding her hand, the bench and rest of the team falling to the ground. When you finally got you saw only two minutes plus, what you estimated two minutes of stoppage time.  
"Four minutes!" You yelled holding up the number. "We still have four minutes left to play!"

Jill made a final sub (Whitney for Allie) and it was all about defending. The team sent long ball after long ball, a heart stopping moment coming in the last minute when Marta got a beautiful bicycle kick but it was saved miraculously by a diving Hope Solo.

And then you heard it. Three blast of a whistle and the gold was yours. It all felt fuzzy to you, you saw multiple players collapse onto the pitch wether in devastation or in pure euphoria you didn't care to decipher. You sprinted as fast as your tired legs would carry you and slammed into a teary eyes Mallory Pugh.

"Im so proud of you." You cried into her shoulder, the tears finally coming. You and the eighteen year old had a special bond as you were both the youngest with barely 4 years separating you. You had become fast friends with being roommates and sharing bus seats.

"I cant believe we did it!" Mal cried into your sweaty hair. You lifted her off the ground spinning her.  
"You did it." You said gleefully, tears still trickling but complete joy was on your features now.

You shook hands with a devastated Brazilian team and were given your 'Greatness Has Been Found' shirts not unlike the 2012 ones. You had already downed a protein shake and water and were now wandering around the edge of the pitch looking for a familiar giggly brunette, your shirt stuck in the waistband of your shorts.

You were halfway around the pitch when you heard multiple voices shouting 'Y/N!' in unison. Your eyes scanned the section and lit up when you saw Aly, flag in hand and leaning over the edge of the stands as far as she could. You took a running start and almost climbed up the wall, ignoring everyone around you except the brown eyes girl that was hugging you tighter than ever before.

"Im so proud of you!" She shouted in you already ringing eardrums. "Youre such a freaking badass!" Your voice, gone from screaming the entire game was raspy as you wiped the tears falling from her eyes.

"Don't cry Al. I love you." You said hoarsely. She gave you a watery laugh and let you down, making sure you took the flag with you. You draped it around your shoulders and wandered back to your celebrating teammates.

-

Actually reciving your gold medal was a whole other array of emotions. You bowed your head and said thank you as the ribbon was placed around your neck. You turned to Tobin who was to the left of you and she pressed her lips against her medal with a grin. You copied her and she threw and arm around your shoulder with a laugh.  
"You know this is my third one and it never gets old." She said.

Pictures were taken, the anthem sung (you didnt cry this time, but your smile almost split your face open.) and then it was a final bow and you were back in the locker rooms.

The champagne was flowing but you passed on an offer from an already tipsy Kling (she broke into some before the medal ceremony) and took a seat next to Mal who, allowed to technically drink in brazil, opted not too (her parents didnt think it was wise). "You not gonna get toasted like the rest of them?" She asked smiling as she took a sip of chocolate milk. You laughed.

"I might have a beer at the party but I want to remember tonight." You told her. "Plus im not a big drinker anyways. Rather stick with the choco milk." You smiled at the pout at took over Mals face.

"Hey, uhm... I know this sounds totally weird but can you get me Alys autograph?" Mal asked, a pink tinging her cheeks. You laughed.  
"Im hanging with her tonight after the party, wanna be my plus one? I think were going bowling."

"But the teams would be uneven?" Mal frowned. You shrugged.  
"Just bring Kelley. Shes really good a drunk bowling." 

-

"Hey guys. I brought friends. One sober, one not very sober." You laughed as you entered the dimly lit bowling alley. You hugged all of the girls and sat down , pulling a very tipsy Kelleys chair out for her.

"So lets get down to business." Gabby said. "Rock paper scissors. Winners and losers are teams."  
"Losers buy winners ice cream." Aly said.

The teams were decided. It was you, Kelley, Simone, and Gabby.  
"Kelleys really good at bowling." You told the two gymnast as you pulled the tipsy defender out if her seat.  
"Okay Kell. I need you to use all the irish-ness in you and sober up a lil bit. " You slapped her softly across the face.

"Alright alright back off." She said. She grabbed her ball of choice and stepped up. And got a spare.

-

"Dude Mal watch this." You laughed at the video Becky had just sent you. She watched it and let out a laugh.  
"What are we laughing at?" Laurie asked.

"Our teammates Meghan is a lightweight in denial and she tried to open an elevator with her hands. You showed them the video of the small defender attempting to use the elevator as her door (damn it becky whered the doorknob go?) They all laughed at her irritability.

You glanced at the time at on you phone and felt the exaustion hit you when you saw it was almost 4 in the morning.  
"We should probably go and get a few hours of sleep before we're mobbed by media."

"It was fun hanging with you guys. We'll see you around. We still need our gold medal pics." Simone winked.

-

It was over. The Olympic Closing Ceremony was last night and you were at the airport getting ready to fly home to Anna Maria Island. You had the latest flight, everyone else on the team was already on their flights. "Hey Olympian." You turned to see the brown haired 22 year old approaching you.  
"Hey Al. What're you doing here?" You asked surprised. She grinned.

"I was thinking about taking a vacation. Know anywhere good?" She asked. Your face broke out into an unsure smile.

"Seriously?" You asked. She smiled again.  
"Yeah. I figured since you got to hang with my parents so much, I should get to visit yours."

"Oh," You laughed. "So this is for my Mom and not me? I see how it is." You joked.

Flight 432 to Tampa Florida is now boarding. Flight 432 to Tampa Florida is now boarding.

You grabbed your backpack and headed to the jetway entrance. You and Aly showed the stewardess your tickets and started down the jetway. "Oh my gosh!" You heard a gasp and turned to see a young girl, maybe 7 by the look of it. "You're Aly Raisman! Can I have a picture with you? Please!" She asked eagerly. You grinned at her excitement. She had a little disposable camera in her hands.

"Yeah! Whats your name?" She asked.   
"Hey ill take the picture." You said taking the camera.

"Maddie." She said shyly. Aly smiled.  
"Really? Thats one of my teammates names! Do you do gymnastics?" Maddie nodded quickly.

"Do like a bridge or something. Ill take a pic." You said. The girls eyes lit up and Aly put her stuff at your feet and popped up into a bridge, the little girl springing up next to her. "Smile!" You snapled two pictures. You took a few more normal standing ones, the girl gave Aly one last hug, thanked you for taking the pictures and then ran back to her mom with an excited yell.

"You know, since people are so obsessed with you," You told her as you sat down in your window seat (you had won this over an intense Rock Paper Scissors game) "And since a relative amount of people like me. And like a zillion people are infatuated with our wonderful friendship." She laughed as she sat down next to you.

"We shoulda made a documentary or something. We'd make bank." You joked. "Two Olympians , Two Friends. The story." You said dramatically.

"Well it really has been one heck of a journey." Aly said sentimentality.   
"Yeah." You said, a genuine smile on your face.

"Yeah it has. I wouldn't want to have it with anyone else."


	6. The Team Is Sad

The swoosh of the net. The scream of the Swedes. That was not what you were supposed to be hearing.

You crouched down on the pitch, taking a deep, gasping breath as you tried to control the heartbreak you were feeling in full force.   
"Linds." You responded numbly to the hand that guided you up and over to where the rest of your crestfallen team was unenthusiastically shaking hands with the jubilant Swedish team. You nodded your head automatically as they told you good game and when you had finally reached the end of the train of players was when you cracked.

Pressure was put in your shoulder and you glanced over to see Morgan leaning into you, her eyes red. In your peripheral view you could see Mal limping over to be embraced by Christen.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to end." Lindsey whispered. Morgan nodded silently.

Jills speech was tuned out by most of the team, finding the tips of their cleats very interesting but looking away suddenly when a tear dropped onto them.

The rookies stood together, all with red eyes and crushed hearts. Not living up to the usual legacy the US Women had created for themselves felt like the lowest of blows to their confidence. The veterans all had an arm around a you her teammate, their faces pale and worn. Alex and Christen were sitting in their respective lockers, heads down. You made your way over to them and pulled them both into a short hug. "Thanks for leading us out there." You said quietly. Alex gave you a tight smile while Christen spaced out. You squeezed her shoulder and headed out of the locker room.

The loss was tough and your heart was broken but you were already ready to come back better than ever. 

 

hey so hopes gone, haos retiring, schools started. the past two weeks have sucked put i got a puppy so. :/


	7. Allie Is Barking Mad

"Alex I am not buying a dog." Tobin closed the refrigerator door with her foot as she balanced her food in one arm, her phone at her ear on the other. 

"But Tobin come on! He's so cute! And Blue needs a best friend!" She rolled her eyes at the strikers reasoning.

"Alex what would I do with a dog? Im gone to much." Tobin peeled off the banana skin with her teeth and threw it into the blender.

"Uh hello? One of our friends can puppy sit, Christen can watch him when you're in Chicago and you can bring him to mine when you come to Orlando." She exclaimed. Tobin sighed and scooped some peanut butter into her smoothie.

"Alex that is so incon-"

"Do you know how much more Christen will love you if you get a dog." Alex interrupted.

"Okay now you're being ridiculous." 

"Tobyyy." She begged. "Come on. He needs a home."

"Bye Alex." Tobin chuckled, pressing the end call button on her phone. She turned on the blender and poured her drink before heading into her small living room. It was their day off and she had nothing to do. Allie had disappeared a few hours ago and Tobin was waiting for her to get back, the arsenal game they had planed to watch was starting in twenty minutes. She had just turned on ESPN when the doorbell rang. Figuring it was Kling again, she sighed.

"What do you ne- What the hell?" She blinked a few times before she realized she was actually seeing what was on her doorstep.

"I named him him Neville." 

"Allie! You can't just go buy a freaking dog without me! And come on, Neville? The least you could've done was name him Albus." 

"I got two collars just in case." Allie held up a red collar with the name Albus scratched into the tag.

"I can not believe you let her talk you into getting a freaking dog." Tobin grumbled. Allie dumped the petsmart bag onto the counter and put down the pup. "Come on Tobs. He's already trained and everything."

Tobin stomped into the living room and turned on the Arsenal game. "I can't believe you." She grumbled again. Allie sat down next to the couch, the new addition to the house following slowly. Tobin had sprawled out on the couch, eyes trained on the TV when she felt something lick her hand. "Stop it." She muttered, pulling her hand away. She was denied that, Albus instead jumped onto the coach and settled himself at her feet.

"What the hell. Whys he like you?" Allie demanded. Tobin shrugged, she smiled unwillingly when the pup let out a sigh and settled his feet on her knees, ready for a nap. She scratched his head and Allie pulled put her phone.

"Hey Alex. You know how Tobin completely shut you down about the dog thing a few minutes ago but I went and got him anyways? Yeah he's already sucking up to her and she's taking it. You suck." Allie pouted. 

"What can I say Harry, Im just irresistible." Tobin grinned, scratching Albus' head, getting a satisfied sigh in return.


End file.
